Artur Van Riggle, Harry Bertoia, Paul Evans, and other design greats charmed bidders at Rago

1902 Despondency vase by Artus Van Briggle for Van Briggle Pottery, which sold for $104,800 with buyer’s premium at Rago.

LAMBERTVILLE, N.J. – Back-to-back design sales in mid-January at Rago delivered typically strong results. Early 20th Century Design, held on January 18, posted high numbers for ceramics, while Modern Design, which took place January 19, saw triumphs for furniture and sculpture. Both sales were presented via LiveAuctioneers.

The crowning glory of the January 18 sale proved to be a 1902 Despondency vase, made by Artus Van Briggle for his self-named pottery firm. Estimated at $20,000-$30,000, it hammered for $80,000 and achieved a staggering $104,800 with buyer’s premium. The vase dated to soon after Van Briggle established his pottery in Colorado Springs in 1901, a location he chose in hopes it would ease his tuberculosis. Sadly, he would succumb to the disease in July 1904, at only 35 years old. The Despondency vase, possibly influenced by Rodin figures Van Briggle would have seen when studying in Paris in the late 1890s, is a coveted form of his. An example is on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

A 1901 piece by Anna Marie Valentien for Rookwood Pottery also handily beat its $4,500-$6,500 estimate. The large, yellow-beige modeled matte vase that featured the figure of a young woman clinging to one side hammered for $26,000 and sold for $34,060 with buyer’s premium. In addition, a circa-1920 Dinanderie vase by Jean Dunand charmed bidders, hammering for $21,000 and selling for $27,510 with buyer’s premium against an estimate of $7,000-$10,000.

Earning top-lot status in the January 19 auction was a circa-1968 bronze by Harry Bertoia, dubbed Untitled (Bush Form) and estimated at $50,000-$70,000. Bidders evidently liked that it had been in the same collection since it was made and that it is listed in the Harry Bertoia catalogue raisonné, because it rose to a hammer price of $100,000 and sold for $131,000 with buyer’s premium.

Another clear winner was a lot consisting of an armless sofa and matching chairs in teak, created in the 1950s by Pierre Jeanneret for Punjab University in Chandigarh, India. Estimated at $40,000-$50,000, the group hammered for $65,000 and sold for $85,150 with buyer’s premium.

Paul Evans is a perennial favorite at Rago; more than two dozen pieces by the New Hope, Pennsylvania furniture artist appeared in the January 19 lineup. A circa-1968 loop cabinet with a pleasing green-patinated copper exterior romped past its $12,000-$16,000 estimate to hammer for $60,000 and sell for $78,600 with buyer’s premium.

1902 Despondency vase by Artus Van Briggle for Van Briggle Pottery, which sold for $104,800 with buyer’s premium at Rago.

1902 Despondency vase by Artus Van Briggle for Van Briggle Pottery, which sold for $104,800 with buyer’s premium at Rago.

1901 Anna Marie Valentien for Rookwood Pottery large modeled matte figural vase, which sold for $34,060 with buyer’s premium at Rago.

1901 Anna Marie Valentien for Rookwood Pottery large modeled matte figural vase, which sold for $34,060 with buyer’s premium at Rago.

Circa-1920 Dinanderie vase by Jean Dunand, which sold for $27,510 with buyer’s premium at Rago.

Circa-1920 Dinanderie vase by Jean Dunand, which sold for $27,510 with buyer’s premium at Rago.

Harry Bertoia, ‘Untitled (Bush Form),’ which sold for $131,000 with buyer’s premium at Rago.

Harry Bertoia, ‘Untitled (Bush Form),’ which sold for $131,000 with buyer’s premium at Rago.

Sheila Gibson Stoodley

Sheila Gibson Stoodley

Sheila Gibson Stoodley is the associate editor for Auction Central News. She has written and edited for Robb Report, Art & Antiques magazine, and Andrew Harper online. She also authored The Hot Bid, a blog devoted to intriguing and delightful lots coming up at auction.

Vintage ceramics and Nakashima cover back-to-back sales for Rago Jan. 18-19

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LAMBERTVILLE, N.J. — Back-to-back sales from Rago promise collectors of vintage art pottery and ceramics and modern designs from Nakashima and Bertoia a tremendous opportunity, with more than 300 lots across both sales. Early 20th Century Design and Modern Design happen on Thursday, January 18, and Friday, January 19, respectively, and both catalogs are now open for bidding at LiveAuctioneers.

Day 1 kicks off with a bounty of 26 George Ohr pieces, ranging from his famed deformed works to more traditional designs. The highest-estimated Ohr piece is a notable snake vase dated to the 1897-1900 period. Standing 9.5in tall, it features two snakes, two ribbon handles, and an indigo, emerald, black, and gunmetal glaze. It includes an impressed signature to the underside G. E. OHR, Biloxi, Miss and is estimated at $45,000-$65,000.

Art Nouveau specialists Van Briggle Pottery (1901-2012) are also well represented in the sale with 10 items. Co-founder Artus Van Briggle takes the top slot among his pottery’s works here with what the lot notes call a “rare and early” Despondency vase. Topped with an agonized human figure, the base is marked AA Van Briggle 1902 92-8 70 and is in stunning condition. It is estimated at $20,000-$30,000.

The final group in Day 1 comes from the Grueby Faience Company of Revere, Massachusetts. An ‘exceptional’ squat vase with water lilies designed by Florence Liley for Grueby Faience has a manufacturer’s mark and number to its base: Grueby Faience Co. Boston U.S.A. 184 and FSL. It carries a $15,000-$20,000 estimate.

Day 2 features four works by Harry Bertoia (1915-1978), each from a different group of designs for which the artist would make numerous iterative variations. Estimated at $50,000-$70,000 is Untitled (Bush Form) from 1968. Acquired from Bertoia and in the same collection since, this is its first appearance at auction.

Fans of the rugged naturalist designs of George Nakashima furniture can choose from an amazing 36 lots in the Rago sale. This Minguren II coffee table is the leading Nakashima lot of the day, made from American black walnut in 1973. It features an exceptionally large single slab crotch-wood top with three free edges and expressive figured grain. The piece is signed with client name Kislevitz to the underside. Sold with a digital copy of the original order card, the table is estimated at $40,000-$60,000.
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George E. Ohr snake vase, estimated at $45,000-$65,000 at Rago.
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Artus Van Briggle for Van Briggle Pottery, Despondency vase, estimated at $20,000-$30,000 at Rago.
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Florence Liley for Grueby Faience Company, squat vase with water lilies, estimated at $15,000-$20,000 at Rago.
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Harry Bertoia, ‘Untitled (Bush Form),’ estimated at $50,000-$70,000 at Rago.
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George Nakashima Minguren II coffee table, estimated at $40,000-$60,000 at Rago.
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